ELA NC Check-In Instructional Support Frequently Asked Questions ELA NC Check-In Instructional Support Welcome to Frequently Asked Questions NCDPI ELA Section May 2018

Purpose of the PPT Series The NCDPI ELA Section’s role in the NC Check-Ins is to provide the participating teachers with instructional support. Any questions regarding instruction may be directed to Julie Joslin. (Julie.Joslin@dpi.nc.gov) Any questions regarding interim assessment may be directed to Dan Auman. (Dan.Auman@dpi.nc.gov) Instructional Support includes: resources that could provide clarity around the standards, ideas for teaching using an integrated model, creating aligned teacher-made assessments, the role of text complexity, and supports for planning lessons.

Instructional Support Powerpoints Topic(s) Part One Standards Part Two Text Complexity Part Three Frequently Asked Questions

Will NCDPI provide pacing guides?

ELA Pacing Guide NCDPI will not be providing pacing guides for ELA. Pacing guides are a district-level decision. Look at what you have been teaching/or plan to teach, review the information from the webinars, and adjust your plans as needed. In ELA, we do not teach skill by skill nor do we select texts at DPI. Those decisions are made by districts. We can support by discussing plans that you have made, answering any questions that you have, or directing you to aligned lessons on the ELA wiki. Pacing is something you should consider within the PLC at your school.  Review points from slide.

When creating a local pacing guide: Remember the 3 shifts Target central and supporting standards Integrate standards Keep the text central to instruction Develop effective Text Dependent Questions (TDQ) We will be discussing each of the 5 points briefly today and providing resources for further exploration.

Designing Aligned Instruction Canvas Course On our wiki, on the tab labeled, “Strong Lessons" https://ncdpi.instructure.com/courses/818

The Three Shifts Shift 1: Regular practice with complex text and its academic language Shift 2: Reading, writing and speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational Shift 3: Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction Remember the 3 shifts.   1.  Strong emphasis on text complexity Vocabulary questions focused on meaning of words in context; strong emphasis on tier 2 words and words important to central ideas Figurative language questions focused on meaning, not terms 2. Focus on careful reading and analysis of texts Strong emphasis on using textual evidence Writing to sources 3. More informational texts as students move through the grades; greater focus on content-rich informational texts at all grades

Standard Outcome Instruction Assessment Choose targeted standard(s) as well as supporting standards that create an integrated approach. Outcome Focus your instruction around the entire targeted standard(s), keeping in mind the difference between assigning and instructing. (What the teacher is doing) Instruction Match your tasks or assessments to the instruction that you have provided. (What the student is doing) Assessment Determine student outcomes based on the expectations of the standards. Notice that to maintain alignment, you need to begin with targeted standards.  You are referring to them continuously.

How do I integrate lessons?

Why Integrating the Standards is Important Integrating the standards as you plan is strategic in helping students reach mastery of a standard. Isolating a standard and performing a strong, narrow approach – drill and kill – does not help students understand the full intent of the standard – all of the aspects, a 3D picture. For example, to really teach RI 7.3, you need to teach W.7.2 as well. It is by integrating reading and writing, that students begin to really understand the idea of developing a topic with details. Reading and writing inform each other. An additional supporting standard could be RI.7.5.

How Do I Integrate Standards? Choose standards that naturally support one another. Cross strands to create an integrated understanding of how language works: reading and writing, grammar and writing, speaking and writing, etc. PPT Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AnLsJRcbGkbA5riNlaTw8Pc5o_lJV3_Q/view Learn more about integrating in our Designing Aligned Instruction Canvas Course and/or the PPT above.

Standard Integration Example RL.6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. RL.6.3 Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution. Student Outcome: Students will use proof from the text to support their idea of how a character changes. Instruction: “Students, watch as I refer to the text to find evidence to support my thinking about a character’s change in Peter Pan. In order to find the evidence, I must first consider how the story unfolds. So let’s review the plot, marking examples as we go. Now we have seven examples. Let’s look at how I determine the strongest textual evidence that would back up my thinking. Notice how I am using sticky notes to mark the places in my book so I can cite the text during class discussion.” Task: On a notecard write one idea you have about how a character changes. Use stickies to mark textual evidence. On paper, list the evidence you have found, in the order of importance. Standard Integration Example In order to think about an aligned task, think about the targeted standards, the student outcome, your instruction. Determine a task that matches what you have taught. Later, after you teach a writing standard – perhaps W.2 or W.4 – they could use the notes that they have taken.

Integration of Standards: Basal Alignment Project (BAP) Group Code to Join #f4q6nm (logo is linked to achieve.org) What it is: Free, teacher-developed Common Core-aligned lessons for Anthology reading series in grades 6-10. Why it matters: These lessons can be used immediately in the classroom and for professional development. Who creates these materials? Hundreds of teachers worked collaboratively to develop these materials, following deep training on the Common Core by Student Achievement Partners. Each lesson has been authored, edited, and reviewed by a team of teachers.

Integration of Standards: Anthology Alignment Project (AAP) Group Code to Join #Jsv4r7 (logo is linked to achieve.org) What it is: Free, teacher-developed Common Core-aligned lessons for Anthology reading series in grades 6-10. Why it matters: These lessons can be used immediately in the classroom and for professional development. Who creates these materials? Hundreds of teachers worked collaboratively to develop these materials, following deep training on the Common Core by Student Achievement Partners. Each lesson has been authored, edited, and reviewed by a team of teachers.

TDQ – The Treasure of Lemon Brown The use of text-dependent questions is critical to developing student skills. Lessons on the AAP Edmodo contain a variety of text dependent questions as well as evidence-based answers to those question. North Carolina Standards expect students to use evidence from texts to present careful analyses, well-defended claims, and clear information. A central tool to help students develop these skills is text-dependent questions: questions that can only be answered by referring back to the text . Source: Anthology Alignment Project

Tell me more about formative assessment.

NC Formative Assessment A process used by teachers and students during instruction that provides feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to help students improve their achievement of intended instructional outcomes. Formative Assessment includes: Questioning Discussions Learning Activities Feedback Conferences Interviews Student Reflections Remember… Formative assessment is found at the classroom level and happens minute-to-minute or in short cycles. Formative assessment is not graded or used in accountability systems. The feedback involved in formative assessment is descriptive in nature so that students know what they need to do next to improve learning. Linked to dpi formative assessment

“It is very difficult for students to achieve a learning goal unless they understand that goal and can assess what they need to do to reach it. So self-assessment is essential to learning.” (Paul Black et al., 2003) • Paul Black (from Kings College London) is the key researcher in this field. • See “Inside the Black Box”, “Working inside the black box”, “Assessment for Learning: Putting it into practice” (2003). These all refer to the importance of self and peer assessment. • (He does not, however, use the term “assessment as learning” treating it as a part of “assessment for learning”.)

Self-Assessment: Reflections from Students & Teachers What is student-centered student self-assessment? What does it look like in the classroom? Do students and teachers find it useful and effective?  Watch as students and teachers from IS 223 (Brooklyn, NY) explain self-assessment and reflect on their experiences using self-assessment in the classroom.  5.30 minutes.  Image linked.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkFWbC91PXQ

Glass, Bugs, Mud After students try a task, review a learning target, or complete an assignment, they identify their understanding or readiness using the windshield metaphor for clear vision. Glass: Totally clear Bugs: A little fuzzy Mud: I can barely see Glass / Bugs / Mud is a quick way to gauge student understanding using the windshield metaphor.  During a lesson, the teacher can pause and say “We are going to do the quick windshield test.”  Glass:  Totally clear Bugs:  A little fuzzy Mud:  I can barely see

Appointment Clocks / Clock Buddies: Distribute a clock face to each student with space to write at the 12, 3, 6, and 9:00 spaces. Have the class walk around and make an appointment with other students for each of the four time slots. When it is time for students to debrief with one another, announce, “Find your 12 o’clock (or 3:00, 6:00, 9:00) and assign a specific task or guiding question for discussion. A simple strategy in the formative assessment process that can be embedded within a lesson.  It is used to quickly put students in pairs for the purpose of collaboration and checking for understanding. Throughout the day, we are going to use the appointment clocks to reflect and collaborate with others.

12 9 3 6

Onion Ring Students form an inner and outer circle facing a partner. The teacher asks a question and the students are given time to respond to their partner. Next, the inner circle rotates one person to the left. The teacher asks another question and the cycle repeats itself. Onion Ring is another strategy to check for understanding and can also be used at all grade levels… Students form an inner outer circle facing each other and the teacher poses a questions for the pairs to discuss. Then…. The inner circle rotates one person to the left and the teacher asks another question. This strategy is a really effective way to ensure students engage with multiple students and hear a number of viewpoints.

Alpha Boxes Pass out the “Alpha Boxes” to each student.   B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W XYZ Alpha Boxes Pass out the “Alpha Boxes” to each student. As students are reading a text independently, fill in the boxes for each letter with information pertinent to the content read. After a reasonable amount of time (depending on the length of the reading selection) students partner/group-share. The teacher might also ask students/partners/groups to share out so that a class “Alpha Box” list can be generated for all to see. Alpha Boxes can be used to recall prior knowledge, organize information while reading, and can even be used while summarizing a lesson. As students are reading a text, they fill in the boxes for each letter with information pertinent to the content read.

Entry / Exit Slip Ideas Twitter Post: Define / Explain / Express __________ in under 140 characters. 5 Words: What five words would you use to describe__________? Explain and justify your answer. Muddy Moment: What frustrates you and confuses you about the text? Why? 3*2*1: Write three things you found out, 2 interesting things you discovered, and 1 question you still have. The Minute Paper: In one minute, describe what you learned today. Explain: Explain the theme or central idea using an analogy, simile or metaphor. Present students with an analogy prompt: (A concept, principle, or process) is like ___________, because ________________________. Define: Pick out an important word or phrase from the text and describe what this word or phrase means. Evaluate: What is the author’s main point? What are the arguments for and against the idea? We have all used entry and exit slips and they are a quick and easy way to check for understanding. These are some new and innovative ways to use these cards. For example: On an index card….. Ask students to tweet in under 140 characters explaining what they learned, or Students write down a muddy moment… something that confuses them, and Explain…. Is really a creative way to communicate what you learned. You ask your students to explain the theme or central idea using an analogy, simile, or metaphor. A great higher order thinking skill!

Did They Learn Anything? 27 Simple Ways to Check For Understanding This infographic offers 27 additional ways to check for understanding. And it is hyperlinked to the site!

Using Questioning to Develop Understanding Here is an example of how a teacher uses effective questioning to advance student learning. Think about what questions she asks and how she uses these questions in the learning process. How does this teacher use questioning to scaffold understanding? What types of questions does she ask? ~3 minutes Image is linked. https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/questioning-in-the-classroom

What are some specific activities and strategies to use with students around vocabulary? Another questions that came up in the survey were about activities, strategies, resources, and ideas around vocabulary.

Vocabulary Support Reading should stimulate growth in vocabulary! Focus on words that make a difference in comprehending the text. Pre-teach words that are not explicitly defined in the text. Pre-teach words that cannot be figured out from context. Provide minimal prior instruction. Reading should stimulate growth in vocabulary! A very common problem in reading a complex text is a student saying, “I don’t know the words”.  If students do not understand the meaning of the vocabulary, then their comprehension will lack.  When scaffolding, be sure to focus on words that will affect comprehension.  There is no reason to scaffold and spend time on words that are either defined in the text or can be understood through context.  Pre-teaching vocabulary can improve a reader’s reading comprehension but be careful to not overdo pre-teaching of vocabulary and always focus on the right words. 

Time and Attention More Time Less Time Abstract Words Words which are parts of semantic word families (develop, developed, developer, development) Words which represent an idea, event, concept unfamiliar to students Words likely to appear in future texts students will read Concrete Words Words not part of semantic word family and have single meanings (sofa, gregarious) Words which are synonyms for ideas, or concepts students already know How do we know what words to teach?  Typically there are many Tier 2 words in a text, which means teachers have to choose which words to teach. Since academic vocabulary is vital to the understanding of a complex text, words to scaffold and spend time on should be carefully selected.  So how do we know which words to spend time on?  This slide shows some guidelines to keep in mind while planning a lesson and choosing words to scaffold.  You may need extra supports in place for words that are abstract, that are part of word families, that represent an idea or concept that is unfamiliar to the students, and/or words that are likely to appear in future texts.  Less supports may be needed for words that are concrete, not part of word families, and/or are synonyms for familiar ideas and concepts.

Choosing Which Words to Teach Let's take a look at this chart.   It goes a little more in depth to determine if you need to spend instructional time on a Tier 2 word .  Words should be selected for closer investigation specifically when they meet one or more of the above criteria.

This is a great tool in the decision making of which words to teach This is a great tool in the decision making of which words to teach.  It is linked here and on the on our wiki.

Academic Vocabulary Rubric

Vocabulary Infographic This infographic provides 10 principles for effective vocabulary instruction and what to avoid. Image linked

Vocabulary Infographic Another infographic for effective vocabulary instruction. Image linked

Resources Here are a few resources that will provide support around vocabulary instruction.  

What are some tips for teaching poetry?

Poetry Resources The Close Reading of Poetry Poetry Out Loud Because there is no single way to read a poem, the Close Reading of Poetry offers 10 elements to look for in order to gain a deeper understanding of a poem. The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation have partnered with U.S. state arts agencies to support Poetry Out Loud, a contest that encourages the nation's youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage. They have some sample lessons.

Where do I go to find instructional resources? In this next section, we will explore several instructional resources.

NCDPI ELA Wiki Image linked Check out the 4th grade ELA resources on the NCDPI ELA Wiki.

NCDPI ELA Wiki Image linked Check out the 5th grade ELA resources on the NCDPI ELA Wiki.

NCDPI ELA Wiki Image linked Check out the 6th grade ELA resources on the NCDPI ELA Wiki.

NCDPI ELA Wiki Image linked Check out the 7th grade ELA resources on the NCDPI ELA Wiki.

NCDPI ELA Wiki Image linked Check out the 8th grade ELA resources on the NCDPI ELA Wiki.

Close Reading Model Lesson An effective way to assist students in mastering reading standards is through close reading.  The lesson includes text-dependent questions, close reading for multiple purposes, paired discussion, and academic vocabulary.  We have hyperlinked a resource from SAP on text dependent questions for your reference. This lesson can be used as a model for other texts you are using in your classroom. 

Close Reading Model Lesson: Grade 6 "The Making of a Scientist" by Richard Feynman Includes:  Text dependent questions Printable copies of the text Student discussion activities Vocabulary and syntax tasks  Annotations for teachers An effective way to assist students in mastering reading standards is through close reading.  The lesson includes text-dependent questions, close reading for multiple purposes, paired discussion, and academic vocabulary.  We have hyperlinked a resource from SAP on text dependent questions for your reference. This lesson can be used as a model for other texts you are using in your classroom. 

Close Reading Model Lesson: Grade 7 “My Mother, the Scientist" by Charles Hirshberg Includes:  Text dependent questions Printable copies of the text Student discussion activities Vocabulary and syntax tasks Writing-based formative assessments  Annotations for teachers An effective way to assist students in mastering reading standards is through close reading.  The lesson includes text-dependent questions, close reading for multiple purposes, paired discussion, and academic vocabulary.  We have hyperlinked a resource from SAP on text dependent questions for your reference. This lesson can be used as a model for other texts you are using in your classroom. 

Achieve the Core ELA Lessons Hundreds of teacher-developed Standards-aligned lessons for grades K-12 Achieve the Core has a bank of close analytic lessons for grade 6 and includes exemplar texts, text-dependent questions, and tasks. Image linked. On wiki also.

LearnZillion Free, cloud-based lessons Image linked. On wiki also.

Free, standards-aligned K-12 lessons UnboundED Free, standards-aligned K-12 lessons Image linked. On wiki also.

Better Lesson The NEA (National Education Association) and the Master Teacher Project partnered to highlight and share best teaching practices around our Standards.  It features more than 10,000 lessons, grades K-12, is developed by teachers, and all are tightly aligned to our Standards.  Each lesson, includes the how and why of effective practice, videos, alignment to the standards, resources, examples of student work and teacher reflections on how the lessons worked in a real classroom setting.

SAP Annotated Mini Assessments This resource is a growing collection of vetted mini assessments that illustrate the shifts.  In these lessons, you will find excerpts of the text, strong aligned questions, quantitative and qualitative analyses of the text, and annotations of the questions including a rationale of the correct answers.  There is also a sample rubric for text-based writing prompts. A growing collection of English language arts / literacy mini-assessments that illustrate the shifts.

Where can I find texts?

Visit Our Free Texts Wikipage Wiki link: http://elascos.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Free%20Literary%20and%20Informational%20Texts

What about the reading-writing connection?

Reading-Writing Connection Reading improves writing and writing improves reading When students read and write together, it enhances critical thinking skills Having students respond to a text improves reading comprehension Resources: Writing to Read Report Writing Next

Student Writing Resources Student-Centered Assessment Assessing Learning Here are some student writing resources.... We have added these to our wiki. The first one is a site on how to include the student in the assessment process.  It gives information on how students can self-assess.  It includes a sample writing rubric. The second link is also a resource on self-assessment.  This site provides an sample self-assessment activity. Source

Teacher Writing Resources In Common: Effective Writing for All Students A Close Reading of the Writing Standards Here are some teacher writing resources.... We have added these to our wiki also. The first links to our LiveBinder where you will find a PD that we did around the writing standards.  It shows how to integrate the writing standards​. The second also links to our LiveBinder where you will find a writing PD on the standards and mentor texts. The two books are great resources on using mentor texts to help students with their writing.

? Do you have questions regarding the information in the powerpoint? Please send them to julie.joslin@dpi.nc.gov and a member of our team will reply as soon as possible! As always, please let us know how we can support you! ?